A New Beginning
by Mrs. B
Summary: *~fluffy fest~* Harry, Hermione and Ron are back. And so's Oliver! A cousin arrives too, and falls for Oliver... Plus! Her memories come flooding back... but are they good ones?
1. The Landings

Disclaimer: I wish that I owned J.K. Rowling's fabulous writing skills and her imagination, but, alas, I don't. Therefore, I don't own anything except for this story and anything that is not included in the HP books. Now, onto the story! Enjoy!  
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"Mum, Dad, are we THERE yet!?" said an impatient Hermione Granger.  
  
For the Granger family, their trip to be with their cousins in California was not worth all the trouble. Their plane ride was hideous, and the traffic was horrendous.  
  
"We're almost there dear, just one moment," said her father adoringly. Not five minutes later they pulled into a driveway. There were two adults sitting on a porch swing watching their children play in the front yard together. As the car gave a lurch, pulling to a stop, the young lady in the front yard stopped wrestling with her younger sibling to notice her cousin.  
  
"Herm! Oh my goodness! Its so great to see you!" Cooper yelled in shock as she bounded across the yard, her brother holding onto her leg the whole way. "I still can't believe it! You're here, yet... Wow! Look at you!"  
  
"Look at me!? Look at you! You look splendid Coop!" Hermione said as the two embraced. "Is this Toby? Little Toby!? I can't believe how big he is! Come `ere you! Gimme a hug!"  
As Toby slowly wandered from his sister's leg and into the stranger's open arms, the parents began to go inside the two-story house and catch up on all the years gone by. The two teenagers and the `kid' wandered up the stairs not long afterwards, and into Cooper's huge bedroom. It was painted a bright yellow with violet sponge clouds across the ceiling. To the far wall was a mahogany bed with dark blue comforter and violet pillows. The young girls proceeded to sit upon this, Hermione taking in her surroundings while young Toby went to his room across the hall to play with his toys.  
  
"So, Herm, what have you been up to? How's school going for you? Have you made a bunch of friends? Like..... any cute ones?" Cooper said with a crooked grin. Cooper Landing was one of the most popular girls in her class at Bartlett High. She had friends everywhere she turned, and acquaintances in every nook and cranny. And yet, no one was as close to her as Hermione, but there is one thing that she has never known... Hermione is a witch.  
  
"Well, nothing much, school's going...good, and yes, and again yes," said Hermione, as she checked out her cousin's lively bedroom. She made it a point not to look directly in Cooper's pointed stare, for she knew what was coming.  
  
"Cute friends? Well, well, I must have look!" Cooper said excitedly, with a grin from ear to ear. "C'mon Herm! You can't just say something like that and not expect me to be interested! Puhleeeeease?" She leapt from the bed and dashed to where Hermione was standing, in front of the full-length mirror. She grabbed her hands and started swing them from side to side when their mothers walked in.  
  
"Girls, I do believe that we must get ready for dinner, so finish unpacking Herm's things and meet us downstairs," said Madison Landing, in a sweet tone. "Come, wash up while I get Toby."  
  
The girls both hurried to unload what little necessities Hermione had brought and within 5 minutes were downstairs, eating dinner with everyone, being joyous, and having an all-around good time. That night while the girls lay sleeping in Cooper's bed, and Toby in his, Madison and Jeffrey Landing were sitting by the fire, drinking tea and chatting with Christa and Nigel, Hermione's parents.  
  
"Well, my dear sister, and brother-in-law, we didn't invite you here just because we love you," began Jeffrey, while sipping his honey-drenched tea.  
  
"Thanks, Jeff, that makes us really feel welcome and loved now!" joked Christa. "So, on a serious note, what is it? What's so important?"  
  
"Well, um, you see," Madison paused, deliberating whether or not to go on, "What school does Hermione go to? Because we know it isn't a High School or a Private one either. We searched everywhere for one with Hermione attending because we want Cooper to go back to her heritage. And when we looked, Hermione didn't attend any sort of one. Does that make any sense?"  
  
"Perfectly understandable. And," Nigel gripped his wife's hand, offering support, "here's the truth. 4 Years ago, when she was supposed to start 5^th grade, she got a letter, from a school no one had ever heard of. We weren't sure what to do, and tried to hide it. Hermione, however, being the curious thing she is, saw one the next day, out of the blue, opened it, and proceeded to read it. We found that she had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Nigel and I, being the ever-careful and watchful parents we believed ourselves to be, were skeptical. I mean, come now! 'There is no such thing as a school for witches or wizards!' we thought. `Preposterous' we had thought. But then we found that it was true, down to every last word. That is where Little Hermione has been attending. And this year will be her 5^th year there." 


	2. The Letter

Disclaimer: Refer to Ch.1  
  
The curtain's hanging upon the window were blowing gently, making sweet whispers in the wind. Hermione stirred ever so slowly, so as not to wake her sleeping cousin, but continued to lie there. As the sun began to creep onto the bed, Cooper stretched like a cat waking out of a peaceful slumber. They both sat up at the same time, put on their slippers and robes, and made their way down the stairs, towards the only smell that would wake them up: coffee and donuts. (A/N: mmmmmm, that sounds good right now... Hey! How about that! Its time for breakfast...)  
  
They entered the dining area to the sounds of their family laughing. Cooper headed straight for a cup of coffee, and Hermione went for a donut. She leaned back on the counter and watched her mother, father, small cousin, aunt and uncle sit at the table and do their morning routine, together. The girls both said good morning, gave hugs, and started up the stairs, Cooper snatching a glazed donut on the way.  
  
"Well, dear coz, I'm going to go take a shower," Cooper said, setting her now empty cup down onto her desk. "Feel free to get dressed or, well, whatever."  
  
She grinned, gathered her clean clothes, and went to the bathroom. Hermione got dressed quickly, and then remembered that she still had a donut. She ate the small thing, and walked to the waste-paper basket. Just before throwing in the napkin, she noticed a cream colored envelope, with emerald green handwriting, and a crimson red `H' seal.  
  
Hermione grabbed the envelope and read the front out loud. "Ms. C. Landing, yellow door on second story, 1701 Branbury Dr., Santa Ana, California. Oh my God! She...she...Oh My God!" Hermione screamed. She ran out the room, over to the bathroom door, knocked frantically for 10 seconds, and when Cooper opened the door in a rush, Hermione grabbed her by the shirt, and dragged her into the bedroom, slamming the door after them.  
  
"Why...did...you...not...tell...me" Hermione said, trying to gather her breath.  
  
"Tell you what?" Cooper asked confused. `What the heck is she on and remind me to avoid it!' she thought.  
  
"You got accepted to Hogwarts! Why didn't you say anything? How long have you known? Coop!!" Hermione was flailing her arms all around, the envelope still in her hand, yelling at the top of her lungs. Cooper grabbed her hands, took the envelope, looked it over, and replied bored, " I didn't really think it mattered. It's junk mail, duh! I mean, come on, there is no such thing as witches! That's why I threw it away. You don't really believe that crap do you?" (A/N: now THAT'S American. LOL)  
  
"No such thing!" Hermione gasped. She once again grabbed Coopers shirt and dragged her along behind her, this time down the stairs to where their parents still were. Toby had already gone outside to play with Puddles, their chocolate lab puppy. The parents stopped conversing as soon as their daughters appeared.  
  
"Hermione, dear, what's going on?" her Aunt Madison asked in the same sweet tone. "Why are you gripping Coop's nice shirt?"  
  
"Mum, Dad, did you tell them yet? Did you?" Hermione asked in a rush, looking from one parent to another.  
  
Christa nodded, and a look of realization appeared upon the Landing parents' faces. "Then please explain to Coop that this," Herm said, waving the envelope in the air for everyone to see, "is not CRAP! That they DO exist!" Exasperated, she sat down between her parents, and laid her head in her hands. Cooper looked from one person to another, her eyes lying for the longest time on her Aunt Christa and Uncle Nigel, giving them the `Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?' look. All of the sudden Hermione jumped out of her chair and ran upstairs. She came back five minutes later.  
  
Madison helped her daughter into a chair at the head of the table, then took her seat once again, and gave Christa a look that said `Begin'.  
  
"Cooper, honey, we all love you , and you know that right?" her Aunt Christa said, giving everyone a check to see if it was okay to go on. "Well, a couple years ago Hermione got the same letter as you. And we thought it was rubbish too, but it wasn't dear. Hermione got a Hogwart's letter too, and she's been attending that school for the past 5 years. While you've been going through middle and High school, Herm here has been learning spells and such things."  
  
Cooper looked at everyone, and then smirked. "This is really funny guys, I mean it. I almost believed you. You guys are good. If you'll excuse me now, I would like to go back to the bathroom and finish my shower." Before she could get up from the table however, Hermione jumped up and placed her hands forcibly on Coop's shoulders. `Oh please don't let me get into too much trouble!' Hermione thought to herself.  
  
With one hand still on Coop's shoulders, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her wand. With a swish and flick she said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and pointed at a candle in the middle of the table. It began to float into the air, as if on a pillow, and twirled around, making it give the illusion that it was dancing. It then landed gently back into the candle-holder and Hermione held her breath, walked back to her seat and sat there, very still. Not 10 minutes later a red letter came in through the window and landed right in front of Hermione. Everyone gasped, and Herm looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She opened it very slowly, and covered her ears just as it bellowed, "MS. GRANGER, WHAT IN THE WIZARDING WORLD WERE YOU THINKING? PERFORMING MAGIC IN FRONT OF PEOPLE, MUGGLES NONE THE LESS?! THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING. PLEASE HEED IT. Professor McGonagall."  
  
Everyone except for Hermione was shocked. Cooper looked like a ton of bricks had just fallen on her. She couldn't believe it. It was true! Her own cousin was a witch! And she was to be one too! Cooper then proceeded to drag Hermione up to her bedroom, and give her the third degree.  
  
"Why didn't you TELL ME!? You're a freaking witch girl! I can't believe it! Crap! And I can be one too!?" Cooper was jumping up and down, like a kid who had just gotten all of their Christmas wishes come true.  
  
The rest of the week passed by quickly. Cooper had persuaded her parents to let her go back with Hermione and her family in order to attend Hogwarts. Hermione tried her best to explain what things were like in the wizarding world but it couldn't be done. Everything was too much for Cooper to handle. In one morning her whole world had turned upside down. After much deliberation she had convinced herself that it was for the best. `Sure,' she had thought, `I'm leaving my friends, but think of it! I'll be making new ones! And I can practice magic too! This is the life.'  
  
At the end of the week she said goodbye to her parents. It was a sad time for her. The longest she had ever been away was for a month, and that was because she had gone on a school field trip. This was for a year. And she wouldn't even be able to see her 5 year-old brother at all. This was going to be one heck of a year. 


	3. The Meeting

Disclaimer: See Ch. 1  
  
"Herm! I can't believe it! Your room is so cute!" Cooper exclaimed, while she walked around, admiring all of Hermione's many books. "Geez! Do you have enough books girl?"  
  
"I still need all of my, er, our books for this year. But Mrs.Weasley is taking care of that for us," Hermione said. She looked at Cooper's confused face, and then realized something. "Oh! That's right, I haven't told you about the Weasley's, or Harry, have I? That's so rude of me!"  
  
"Okay, so I'm guessing you'd like to know about them?" Hermione asked, watching her cousin wander around the bedroom in circles, looking at everything once or twice. Cooper nodded her head as she looked at an old book laying open on the desk. "Right, okay. Harry Potter is one of the most famous wizards, even though he's only our age. That's because when he was a baby the most powerful and evil wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, tried to kill him. But Harry survived, when even the most powerful witches and or wizards had not."  
  
"Ron is my other friend. He's got 5 brothers, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Fred, and then his younger sister Ginny. Bill works at Gringotts, which is a wizarding bank, Charlie works with dragons in Romania, yeah, there are such things as dragons," Hermione added as she saw the shocked look on her cousin's face. "Anyway! Then there's Percy; he works at the Ministry of Magic, and I'll get into that later. He's going out with Penelope. Fred and George are twins- they play Quidditch for my house's team, Gryffindor. They love to make different kinds of candy's, which are bewitched. Then there's Ron. He loves to play chess, and he's really good at it. He saved Harry and I in our first year, but that's a whole other story. Finally, there's his little sister, Ginny. She's a good friend of all of us. She's a Fourth year this year, and you will be joining Harry, Ron and I as fifth years. I think that's about it..."  
  
Cooper took a seat on the bed, trying to understand it all, trying to remember it all. She looked at Hermione, and then just shook her head, saying "Whatever." Just then, a tiny fluttering thing flew in through Hermione's open window, and landed on the back of the desk chair.  
  
"Oh my gosh! What in the world is that, that thing!? Why's it here? Get it away from me!" Cooper screamed, crawling backwards on the bed, towards the wall, trying to get as far away from the `thing' as possible.  
  
"Calm down Coop! Its just Pig!" Hermione said as calm as she could. She grasped Pig by his tail. He was leaping around the desk, as if he were a cat trying to get his catnip, because he was always like that. "Don't worry Cooper! He's only a little owl. He's not going to bite you! And if he does, it won't hurt... much," Hermione added with a grin. Cooper started laughing as the owl began to nip at his holder. Hermione gripped the letter he was holding and let the little owl flutter to his perch in the corner of the room: the Cat stand. Crookshanks noticed something on his "house" and clawed at it, the little owl squawking as he leaped into the air, trying to fly away from the huge thing nipping at his behind. The girls had a good laugh while watching them play, and then Hermione remembered the letter. She walked over and sat in her favorite place, her window seat.  
  
"What's that?" Cooper questioned, finally catching on that owls, and not mailmen, delivered letters in the wizarding world. She sat in front of her cousin, and looked inquisitively over at Hermione.  
  
Hermione opened the letter, and looked at it slowly as she pulled out the parchment. She looked up at Cooper and then, seeing that she was interested in what it said, read it aloud.  
  
Herm,  
  
Bloody `ell! I've missed ya! How have you been? How was your cousin, and the states? Did you have fun? Oh blimey! I forgot! Harry's over, and I was wondering if you'd like to meet us at Diagon Alley. Mum's going to get all of our books, she said you didn't have to worry about it; she's more than happy to. Anyway- ask your parents and give us a reply. Hope to see you soon!  
  
Love from,  
  
Ron  
  
Cooper had a surprised look on her face, and there were questions buzzing in her head, like `What in the world is Diagon Alley?' Hermione left the room in a hurry, and ran to her parents, Cooper following close behind. Christa and Nigel Granger were sitting comfortably in the living room, Crookshanks lying in front of the fire, resting after having chased Pig around Hermione's room. Hermione went and sat next to her parents, and Cooper sat in the chair to the left of them.  
  
"Mum, Dad, remember Ron Weasley? I went to his house last year?" Hermione asked, looking at her parents.  
  
"I remember his mom sent us an owl inviting you, which was very kind," her mom commented. Her mom had that mother sensor that alerts any mother when her daughter or son is going to ask for something, because her next question was, "Anyway, what do you want to do? Do you want to meet him and, who is that other young man... Harry?"  
  
"Well, yes, I would mum, if that's okay with you and dad. They have invited me to meet them at Diagon Alley. Am I allowed to go? Please?" Hermione got down on her knees and begged her parents, and Cooper put on her best puppy dogface. Hermione's dad, Nigel, began to laugh, and her mom smiled.  
  
"Of course you can `Mione, just make sure to thank Ron for his invitation," Nigel said, helping his daughter up from the ground. "Now go tell him your response. When were you planning on going?"  
  
"A week before school starts," Hermione replied, starting to leave the room. "And Dad? Don't call me `Mione, please? You know I don't like it!"  
  
"That's why its fun dear!" Nigel smiled, and then was hit playfully by his wife.  
  
"That sounds fine dear. Does he know that Cooper is here? Is she invited also?" Christa questioned her only daughter, while looking at her husband with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Why yes mum, of course!" Hermione said, while crossing her hands behind her back. The girls got back to Hermione's bedroom, and after she had sent Pig away with a response back to Ron, Hermione turned to Cooper.  
  
"Herms, do you think its right to lie to your mom?" Cooper asked, worried that they might get in trouble. Cooper was used to getting grounded, but she had never heard her only good cousin lie through her teeth.  
  
"Of course it is!" Hermione said distractedly. She looked Cooper in the face and said, "What my mum doesn't know won't kill her. Plus, you need to meet all my friends, soon to be all of our friends."  
  
The next two weeks passed quickly for everyone. At last the day to go to Diagon Alley had arrived. The girls got dressed and gathered all of their money. Hermione explained to Cooper how wizard money worked, and let her borrow some. The Granger's and Cooper gathered in the car and drove to London, Hermione's parents leaving them there and telling them that to call them as soon as they were ready to leave.  
  
Hermione and Cooper walked through the Leaky Cauldron, and into Diagon Alley. They had brought their letters from Hogwarts and went to buy their books first. As they walked out of Flourish and Blotts, Hermione heard her name being called. She turned to the voice and low and behold there was Ron, yelling it from Gringotts Bank. Hermione grabbed Cooper and ran towards him, Harry, and Ginny.  
  
"Blimey! I missed you guys so much!" Hermione exclaimed, going to each of her friends, and hugging them all. Ron and she held on for a little longer than the others, but only Ginny and Cooper noticed. Cooper stood off to the side as all of this went on, just observing the four of them interact. "Oh! You guys! This is my cousin Cooper Landing. She's the one I was visiting in the states, but I found out while I was there that she was accepted to Hogwarts! How spectacular is that?"  
  
Ginny immediately went up to her and hugged her. Ginny had grown up a lot over the summer. Her bright red hair had grown and faded to a very pretty shade of strawberry blonde, and her eyes were a gorgeous shade of green. She was around 5'5" now, and looked as if she were a 5^th year.  
  
The boys stood to the side and took in the three girls, who were now talking about all sorts of things. Ron noticed how much prettier Hermione had gotten, as well as his sister. Hermione was a little taller than Ginny, but not by much. Her bushy hair had thinned out, and was a shade lighter due to all the sun she had gotten. Her eyes were still that same honey-brown color, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was more sure of herself it seemed, and walked and talked with a state of grace. `Stop it!' he told himself. `She's one of your best friends!'  
  
As Ron stood there stunned, Harry looked curiously at the newcomer. Cooper had extremely long hair that just seemed to keep going on and on. It was a rich chocolaty brown shade, with copper highlights that she had gotten previously to leaving her home. Her eyes were a deep ocean blue that sparkled every time someone said something interesting to her. She was Hermione's height too, and it was clear how close they were.  
  
"Harry! Harry!" someone yelled, breaking him out of his trance. He looked to see who was calling him, recognizing the voice. He finally spotted the man, coming out of the Leaky Cauldron, and ran over to greet him.  
  
"Oliver! Wow! I never thought I'd see you again!" Harry exclaimed, shaking hands with the wizard fresh out of Hogwarts. "What are you doing here!?"  
  
Oliver looked around him, taking in the strange girl with Hermione. "I'm going back to `Ogwarts, to be an apprentice under Hooch. She's going to retire soon and she needs some help this year anyway. Nasty blow to the head over a summer Quidditch game she was refereeing. She's still a little out of it, y'know?" he informed Harry, still glancing every once and a while at the new girl. "Harry, who's that girl with Hermione and Ginny?"  
  
Harry followed his line of sight, and said casually, "Oh, that's Hermione's cousin, Cooper Landing. I don't really understand it all, but she's going to be going to be joining us at Hogwarts this year. I suppose she thought her other letters were rubbish and then Hermione convinced her to come." Harry began to walk over to join the group once again, leaving Oliver alone.  
  
Oliver just kept looking at her, entranced by her beauty, and how her aura gave off the feeling she knew she was pretty, but didn't go out of her way to show it off. He followed Harry back, and greeted everyone, his eyes lingering on Cooper. "Hello, I'm Oliver Wood. Chum of Harry's here. He told me you're Hermione's cousin, and that you're new here. How do you like it so far?" Oliver asked her politely, and shook hands with her.  
  
Cooper was overcome with a feeling of shyness, which hardly ever happened to her. "Um, hi Oliver. Nice to meet you, I'm Cooper Landing," she replied, masking her strange feelings with casualness. "I like things here, its really different than in California, but that's okay. So, do you go to... Hogwarts?"  
  
"No, um, actually I graduated last year from Hogwarts," Oliver said, happy that she had actually answered.  
  
"Hey, you guys, lets all go get a butterbeer, okay?" Hermione asked, trying to give Cooper a way to sit and talk and become friends with everyone.  
  
"That sounds great, Herm, but I actually have to get going- I'm due home soon now. Nice to see you all, and it was great meeting you Cooper Landing. I hope to see you again soon," Oliver said sweetly, giving her a smile, and waving good-bye to everyone else.  
  
Everyone waved, and headed to the Leaky Cauldron, talking excitedly about the upcoming school year. Ron thinking of how different Hermione had become, Harry thinking of how wicked it was that Oliver was going to be back at Hogwarts, Ginny thinking of how great it was to have a new chum, Hermione hoping that Cooper liked it there, and Cooper thinking of how cute Oliver was, and then quickly disregarding the thought, becoming focused on the conversation the others were having, and wondering what a butterbeer was. 


	4. To Hogwarts School We Go

Disclaimer: See Ch.1  
  
A/N: Props to Caitlin, thanks for your help girl; w/o you none of this would have been possible!  
  
Hermione had been up for at least two hours already by the time Cooper had woken up.  
  
"Hey sleepy-head, I thought you'd never wake up!" she exclaimed, too happy for her cousin, who still was lying down in the bed, but with her eyes open now.  
  
"Girl, you realize its only 7:15 right?" Cooper commented in between her many yawns.  
  
"And you realize there is such thing as brushing your teeth, right?" Hermione said, smirking as Cooper threw a pillow at her face. "Just kidding! By golly, you'd better get packing soon, or you're going to be here while I'm riding the train to 'Ogwarts!"  
  
Cooper popped into the bathroom, took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and went to pack her things, which Hermione was practically done with. As Hermione searched for anything they might have missed in her suitcase rampage, Cooper sat at the window seat, stroking Crookshanks. Hermione finally told her parents, at 9:41, that the girls were all packed and ready to head to the train station. Nigel packed everything into the car trunk while the three women got into the car, Hermione holding Crookshanks. The ride seemed shorter than usual to Hermione, but it might have been the fact that she was happy her cousin was there to share it all with. The girls hugged Hermione's parent's goodbye, telling them they'd see them again soon. They then walked up to where the platform should have been, but wasn't.  
  
"Um, Hermione? Our tickets say Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, but there isn't one… This is getting creepy," Cooper said, watching people walk towards a wall and then the next second not be there.  
  
"Oh, that's right. Um, y'see, we walk in between nine and ten. Don't be scared," Hermione added, seeing her cousin's frightened look, "it doesn't hurt. Just follow me and don't think about it."  
  
"I'm not scared!" Cooper lied, looking everywhere but Hermione's face. Hermione smirked at her cousin, and walked her cart through the wall. Cooper was slightly nervous, but convinced herself to be strong. She started towards it, and kept walking faster and faster until she closed her eyes and felt a coldness sweep through her. She stopped and opened her eyes, looking in front of her and to the sides until she saw Hermione, under the 'Hogwarts Express' sign.  
  
"See? I told you I wasn't scared one bit 'Mione!" Cooper said with a grin. Hermione was just about to tell her off when she heard Ron's voice, calling them from the train.  
  
"Herm! Cooper! Better get on quick, seem's like there's a bloody lot of firs' years coming in this year, and they want our spot!" he yelled while waving frantically, Harry following suit. The girls rushed on board with their luggage, Hermione holding Crookshanks by the collar. Hermione finally got to the last compartment. Harry and Ron had already put their things away, and helped the girls with theirs, seeing as how the guys were a little taller. They all sat down, and talked about how they were looking forward to when their compartment door came smashing open.  
  
"Blimey you guys! We saw this wonderful new girl hanging with another that looked just like you Hermione!" George exclaimed.  
  
"She had long brown hair," Fred began.  
  
"And she had Copper highlights," George finished.  
  
"Plus she was amazingly beau…Bloody Hell!" They both shouted at the same time, pointing at Cooper. " It's you! You're the girl! Okay, nice to see you all again. We'll be going back to our little compartment and be thoroughly embarrassed now. Toodles!"  
  
With that the twins walked out, leaving a stunned foursome sitting quietly for about 30 seconds until they all started laughing uncontrollably.  
  
"Who…were…those…guys?" Cooper asked, still trying to catch her breath. She glanced at the others who were still laughing.  
  
"Those were my twin brothers, Fred and George," Ron offered. That made them all laugh even harder, and finally about ten minutes later the cart full of candy came down the corridor, and everyone pitched in to buy a lot full.  
  
"Hey, you guys, are these really every flavor?" Cooper asked inquisitively, looking into her Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.  
  
"Ooh yeah Cooper," came a voice from next to her. "When they say every flavor, they mean it; trust me."  
  
"Oliver… hi, how are you?" Cooper was surprised to see him so soon; she hadn't expected to see him then, if ever again. And she had sworn to herself she wouldn't fall for anyone, especially after the last time. 'No, don't think about it; it's in the past,' she reminded herself. She zoned back into what Oliver was saying.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself Cooper," he said with a grin.  
  
"Oliver, what are we going to call you at school?" Harry questioned his old chum.  
  
"Well, seeing as how I'm only here to help Hooch, and not permanently because I'm a reserve keeper for Puddlemore United, just call me Wood, or Oliver, whichever you prefer," Oliver replied, eyeing Coopers Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "May I, Miss Landing?"  
  
"Um, yeah, sure. And it's Cooper," she added, feeling awkward when he called her 'Miss Landing'. She watched as he carefully took a jellybean out of the palm of her hand where she had poured a lot, and popped it into his mouth, She followed suit. "Gross! I got bean sprouts!"  
  
Oliver almost choked on his candy as he looked into her face, full of revulsion, for he was laughing so hard. She slapped him in the stomach with the back of her hand, and started laughing good-naturedly with him.  
  
"I got strawberry cheesecake; would you like mine instead?" he asked jokingly, and began to laugh at her surprised look. The others, however, watched the two interact. They looked at each other and shook their heads. Just as Oliver slid down into the seat next to Cooper all five of them heard Fred and George coming back.  
  
"Harry!" Fred exclaimed in an excited voice.  
  
"What?" Harry asked, wondering if they were going to realize anytime soon that Cooper was still sitting there.  
  
"Guess who's back!" George asked, his voice as excited as Fred's.  
  
"Who?" Harry wondered, his curiosity getting the better of him.  
  
"Wood! Oliver Wood is back!" they yelled together. They searched Harry's face for something, and when they found nothing, asked, "What? Why aren't you happy?!"  
  
Fred walked over to Harry and said while winking, "Got your knickers in a knot, eh?" Harry just pointed to the seat across from him, with Oliver sitting in it.  
  
"Oh blimey! Not again!" they chorused. They patted Oliver on the shoulders saying 'Welcome back'. As they left, however, everyone could have sworn they heard George ask, "Will we ever know anything before they do?"  
  
After another fit of laughs, Oliver looked at his watch. "I best be off; ye might want to get into your robes now, we're about 15 minutes from Hogwarts. See you at the Sorting Ceremony. I'm to act as a Gryffindor again. Hopefully I'll be seeing you in the Common Room Miss…er…Cooper," and with a polite bow of his head, he left.  
  
"Hermione, what's a Common Room?" Cooper asked, still not filled in on everything at Hogwarts by her cousin.  
  
"Don't tell me: you forgot to tell Cooper about the houses?" Ron exclaimed while putting his robes on, and watched as Hermione looked out the window, shaking her head. "And let me guess: you also forgot to mention the best wizarding sport ever, right?"  
  
Hermione just started laughing, continuing to shake her head while looking out the window. Ron grabbed his Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and began to throw them at her, chasing her around the small compartment as Harry tried to explain the Houses and Quidditch to Cooper.  
  
"So, you mean that I might not be able to be with you guys?" This thought had never occurred to any of them, and it was apparent too, because Ron and Hermione suddenly became serious and sat across from each other, the boys on one side, and the girls opposite.  
  
"Well, I…I suppose it could happen," Ron said, slowly. Seeing both girls' hearts breaking made his want to crumble as well. He felt guilty, even though it was not his fault. "But Dumbledore, our Headmaster Cooper, he can't be that cruel."  
  
"Yeah, but Parvati and Padma Patil are in different houses, and they're twins Ron!" Hermione cried out, her voice full of anger and sadness. "Plus, Dumbledore can't do anything about it; it's the hat that decides where to place us."  
  
They all became quiet as the train pulled into the Hogsmeade Station, and as they got their luggage down, Cooper turned around and told them not to be sad or anything like that.  
  
"Mushy stuff is for kids you guys," she said. She added reassuringly, "Plus, if I do get into Gryffindor, we don't want to be sad, we want to celebrate, right?"  
  
They all echoed 'right', trying to sound cheerful but not coming across convincingly enough.  
  
"Cooper Landing? Miss Cooper Landing!" a woman's voice echoed above all the excitement.  
  
"Go on Coop," Hermione ushered her. "It's only Professor McGonagall; she'll take you to the school."  
  
As Cooper walked towards the person calling her name, she noticed that the woman wore an emerald green cloak, with spectacles for her glasses, and her hair up in a bun.  
  
"Hello, I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall," the woman said kindly. She led Cooper ahead of everyone, telling her how things were to go.  
  
"Now, I realize that you will be inexperienced compared to the others, but we saw a great potential of magic inside of you. That is why we continued to send you the acceptance letters. I believe you could do a lot this year, and be able to catch up with everyone. You could probably see your teachers after classes to learn things everyone else has covered. Well, here we are."  
  
Cooper had been so caught up in what Professor McGonagall had been saying that she didn't even notice that hey had already reached Hogwarts castle. 


	5. Boys 'n' Girls

Disclaimer: I'm J.K. Rowling and I own everything dealing with Harry Potter… :: wakes up:: Darn it! I'm back to being an Alaskan. Shoot. Oh well, onto the story!  
  
Everyone had sat down at their tables, the teachers were at the High Table, Professor McGonagall was standing holding the Sorting Hat as it sang its tune, and all the new first years were waiting to be sorted. Cooper stood near the stage, where she had been told to stay, until Dumbledore brought her upstage.  
  
"OH man! I really hope she gets into this house!" Ron said, crossing his fingers under the table as he watched the first years jumping from the stage to their rightful seats with their houses. Hermione was nervously looking around for her cousin, and kept glancing from one end of the first years to the other, hoping to spot Cooper.  
  
"Hermione, I really don't think that Cooper would be up there with the first years. They'll sort her last, and she'll get into Gryffindor, don't worry!" Harry too was checking for any sign that Cooper was around, but wasn't as anxious as Hermione. Ginny and Oliver too had been searching for their new friend.  
  
"I found her! She's over there! By Snape! And some new female teacher, I bet she's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly, making everyone jump. She frantically pointed to the left of the stage, and sure enough, there Cooper stood, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other, glancing around the whole room until her eyes rested on her friends. She gently waved, showing them that she had seen them, and received several waves in return. Cooper then turned her attention back to her shifting, and to the Sorting Ceremony.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore has a few start-of the term announcements to make," Professor McGonagall stated matter-of-factly, quickly seating herself next to where Dumbledore's empty chair now sat. He walked around the table and stood in front of the school.  
  
"Note to all new students: The Forbidden Forest is just that: Forbidden! Mr. Filch has posted all new rules for those who feel the need to break them," Dumbledore stated, winking at George and Fred who were laughing along with everyone. "And one more thing… We have a new student this year, so please welcome Miss Cooper Landing. Cooper, please have a seat here, and you shall be sorted shortly."  
  
Cooper casually walked out to the three-legged stool, and sat calmly upon it, not even nervous anymore. She then felt Professor Dumbledore gently place the Sorting Hat on her brown-copper hair.  
  
"Ahhhh. Lots of Integrity, its here all-right, and brave too, yes, very brave. You have a knack for getting into people's business... I can see that… You could do a lot you know, especially here… but I'll put you in GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
The whole Gryffindor table jumped up and started clapping, Cooper's five new friends especially. After dinner they all headed back to the Common Room, and Cooper found it all very homey. She immediately plopped on the couch in front of the fireplace, Oliver next to her, Ginny and Hermione in the chairs, while the other two grabbed their spots on the floor.  
  
"Oh my gosh! I'm so full!" Cooper exclaimed, rubbing her stomach. The others just laughed at her. They all began to talk excitedly, and then Hermione realized just how late it had gotten.  
  
She and Ginny escorted Cooper to their dorm room where Lavender was already sleeping. They began to get dressed when Cooper brought up the subject of Ron.  
  
"So, Hermione, you and Harry and Ron have been friends for a while now, right?" She pulled back the covers of her bed and rearranged the pillows to fit her needs.  
  
"Yeah, since I first came here."  
  
"You and Ron are pretty close, right?"  
  
"Just what are you implying Coop?" Hermione glanced at her cousin from her spot on her bed. Cooper looked up and over at Ginny, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Cooper looked back at Hermione.  
  
"I'm just saying that, well, you and Ron seemed to be having a lot of fun on the train, chasing one another around…" Cooper trailed off, watching Hermione's face change for a split-second and then go back to its previous look.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione began to settle down in her bed as Ginny spoke.  
  
"Plus, you and my brother seemed to hold on just a little longer than normal friends when you saw each other in Diagon Alley…" Ginny saw her friend blush slightly, then get an annoyed look on her face.  
  
"You noticed that too?!" Cooper looked up in surprise at Ginny; she thought she had been the only one to have seen it.  
  
"Will you get off of this subject, please? We did no such thing. It was all just your imaginations. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed!" With that, Hermione pulled the covers over her head and closed her tired brown eyes.  
  
"What crawled up your butt?" Cooper asked irritably. She had just been having a little fun. Plus, she was curious, and last time she had checked, that wasn't illegal, in any realm.  
  
"You! Now go to bed!" Cooper and Ginny just looked at each other and shook their heads. They settled into their comfy beds and fell promptly to sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.  
  
The guys by now were just heading up the stairs into their room, which they shared with Seamus. They got to their respective beds and began to switch into their pj's when…  
  
"Oliver, how are you enjoying being back at Hogwarts?" Harry was curious as to why he would want to come back. It didn't sound too appealing to him. Of course, Harry still had school to worry about.  
  
"Its great. I got kind of bored just doing nothing out in the world. My mum kept wanting to me to visit her, but after a couple of her friendly chats, and little comments about how I could do so much more with my life… Well, it wears out fast." He crawled under his covers, and put his hands under his head.  
  
"Cooper is pretty cool, huh? I mean, she's not like any other girl, is she?" Ron changed the subject, watching as Oliver got a dazed kind of look in his eyes when her name was mentioned.  
  
"Yeah… she's awesome…" Oliver drifted off, and Harry noticed how he had a little grin on his face.  
  
"You like her don't you?"  
  
"What?!" Oliver jumped up at this sudden observation. He looked at Harry in surprise.  
  
"You heard him, Wood. Now just answer the question!" Ron walked over to where Harry was and stood next to him. "We both saw how you kept sitting next to her the whole day. And the whole 'coming up behind her' thing? Classic!"  
  
"You guys seriously ate too many Chocolate Frogs or something. You need to lay off of the sweets Ron, its getting to your head," Oliver said laughing in a hesitant manner.  
  
"I don't need to lay off the sweets, and its not going to my head! You fancy Cooper! Admit it! Before we have to beat it out of you!"  
  
"Yeah, I like Cooper, but as a friend. She's cool, but I don't fancy her. And what's this whole thing with you and Hermione?"  
  
"What?! Don't try to change this around on me! We're talking about you Oliver!"  
  
Harry was lost. "What thing with Hermione? What are you talking about Wood?"  
  
"It seems our little Weasley here has a hankering for a certain Miss Granger…" Oliver grinned at this fact, watching as Ron went red from ear to ear, and got an annoyed look in his face.  
  
"I do not ha-"  
  
"Ron!? Why didn't you tell me?! Its great! My two best friends!" Harry was so excited he couldn't believe it.  
  
"Yeah, okay, so I like her… That's not a crime now is it? Just leave me be!" Ron slipped into his bed and turned his back to the other two.  
  
Harry just looked over at Oliver, who still had a grin on his face, and said, "You know, he's right… You can tell that you like Cooper… Now its just a matter before you realize it." He then got into his own four-poster bed and slept peacefully, thinking of how he hoped Snape had somehow brewed a horrible concoction over the summer holidays and had forgotten about the homework he had assigned them due to all the mishaps. 


	6. The Gift

A/N: I have this thing with cutesy stories and such, and so I'm changing the title to A New Beginning, just so ya know… cuz its not gonna fit later on!  
  
"Hey Cooper!" Oliver called to her from the Quidditch field, after her Magical Creatures class, as she walked back up to the castle. "Hey! Wait up!"  
  
"Oh, sorry Oliver, I didn't hear you… I'm kind of off into my own world," Cooper said in a faraway voice. She was walking slowly through the grass, not even picking up her feet, but leaving a little trail behind her. She suddenly stopped and looked up at him, watching his eyes sparkle in the sun, and his hair dance in the breeze. He looked back quizzically, wondering why she was looking at him so hard.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm just…I… last night was kind of a rough night for me." Cooper turned around and started to walk towards the castle once again.  
  
"Want to talk about it?" Oliver followed her up and into the castle, never once pressuring her to say anything she didn't want to.  
  
"No, that's all right. But, um, thanks…" sheepishly Cooper looked back up at him, and smiled.  
  
"Anytime. You know where I am… just across the hall and in the other dorm." With that, he flashed his charming smile, and left her staring after him as he walked up the stairs to Madam Pomfrey's to check on Hooch.  
  
Ash she turned around, she bumped unexpectedly into Malfoy.  
  
"Why, if it isn't Cooper Landing, our newest student. As if there weren't enough Mudblood's attending this damn school already." A look of confusion crossed Cooper's face at the last sentence. "So your buddies haven't taught you everything in this world yet, eh? A word of advice, Landing, recognize the wizarding families and stay out of the way, or be moved out of the way permanently."  
  
With that Malfoy shoved her to the ground, and stepped over her with an air of snobbishness. Cooper slowly picked herself and her belongings up off the floor, and hurried off to her next class.  
  
After lunch that day Ginny, Cooper, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Oliver sat in front of the fireplace, relaxing and joking around.  
  
"Hey, you guys? I need to ask you something…" Everyone slowly stopped their chats and focused on Cooper. She was sitting on the couch, Indian-style, playing with her long brown hair, twisting and intertwining it between her fingers. "What exactly is a Mudblood?"  
  
Cooper looked around as all of her friends glanced at one another with their mouths gaped open in awe. "Who exactly said that to you? Did they call you it?" Hermione was worried about her cousin. Never would she have believed anyone would say that, least of all to her beautiful and popular cousin, but she wouldn't put it past…  
  
"Malfoy. I bumped into him on accident, right after you and I talked today actually," she looked next to her at Oliver, who was looking straight into the fire with his hands balled into fists. "What's wrong? Is it that bad of a word?"  
  
"That's pretty much the understatement of the century. Mudblood is a term used to refer to muggles. Its like a cuss word in a way, but a bad one," Harry explained, watching as Cooper's smile began to melt into a pursed thin line.  
  
"So, its basically the equivalent of calling me a slut or a whore or something?"  
  
"Well, um, yeah. But you know what? Don't listen to him. He's called Herm that since school started. It doesn't matter though. Its just his way of giving himself an 'I'm better than you' boost in his self esteem," Ginny answered, trying to make it sound not quite as bad as Cooper had made it out to be.  
  
"Okay. That's all right though. He has no place to judge me. He knows nothing about me. I'm not going to let it get to me. C'mon, lets talk about happier subjects, like why Hermione can have Crookshanks and I can't have an animal!" Cooper started laughing, and soon everyone else joined in. Oliver stood up and had started to go through the portrait before Cooper caught up to him.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I still have to get some things for Hooch, and I might as well get a start on it. Bloody load of stuff, I'm telling you." He looked down into her deep blue eyes and smiled.  
  
"You realize we have like 3 days off, right?"  
  
"Yeah, but when I finish this I can spend the rest of the weekend doing what I want." He then turned around and walked out of the portrait. Cooper wandered back to the couch and sat on her leg, while she pulled her right leg close to her, and propped her chin up on its knee.  
  
"Where'd Wood go?" Ron asked, finally realizing they were missing one from their little party.  
  
"He went to run some errands. He'll be back soon."  
  
"Well, I'm going to head up to the dorms, I want to get a look at my homework for the weekend." Hermione stood from where she had been sitting, and started to walk towards the staircase, but halted when Ron called her name.  
  
"Hey 'Mione! Can you help me with my Transfiguration stuff? I don't really understand it yet." When Hermione nodded her head, Ron bounded over to her, and together they went up into the dorms to study.  
  
The other three just looked at each other and rolled their eyes, all of them knowing why Ron really wanted to study. Ginny told Harry and Cooper that she was going to visit Professor Hooch, then Harry said he was going to write his godfather, and finally Cooper was left all alone on the couch. She glanced around the common room, her eyes landing on George and his girlfriend Caitlin. She was very nice and they made a really cute couple. As she looked back into the fireplace, she fell into a slumber…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Get back here now you little witch! You think you can just dump me like that and get away with it!? Think again!" Michael slapped her across the face, making her go tumbling backwards into the wall. "You liked that right? You like it bad, don't you? Don't you! That's why you started going out with Andy! You wanted to screw around with my best friend behind my back, is that it?! Answer me!"  
  
She started to cry, her tears flowing over her cheeks, her newly formed bruises already starting to show their color…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Oliver entered the Common room quietly, even though everyone was down eating dinner. He glanced around, his eyes falling upon Cooper, who was sleeping on the couch in a fetal position. He gently set the box he was carrying down onto the ground, and sat in front of her, noticing that she had tears cascading down her delicate face. He gently brushed them away with his thumb, being careful not to wake her. He then rested on his haunches, just watching her sleep. Not long afterwards she stirred, her eyes fluttering before him. He just watched, mesmerized. She slowly stretched her cat-like stretch before opening her eyes to find Oliver watching her intently.  
  
"Hey," he said softly, pushing her hair back from where it had fallen into her face. She smiled sweetly, and sat up. Oliver sat next to her, the box next to him. "Why were you crying?"  
  
"I was?" Cooper asked sheepishly. "I had a nightmare."  
  
Sensing that she didn't want to discuss it any further, he picked the box up and sat it into her lap. "Here, I want you to have this."  
  
Cooper bit her lip, trying to keep from smiling. "You really didn't have to do this Oliver. You and I barely even - "  
  
"Just open it will you!?" He watched as she carefully pulled the ribbon off from around it, and opened the top to find… 


	7. Tambre

Disclaimer: see ch.1, I'm too lazy to type it out. lol  
  
A/N: Audrey, you can have Oliver back if you write another chapter! lol Cait, love ya girl, love Goodbye, etc etc etc, lol. I'm a sappy romantic, what can I say? On with the story, that's what! =)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cooper just looked at him, as she pulled out the tissue paper.  
  
"Um, did you forget the gift? 'Cause, well, there isn't one in here." Cooper just watched as Oliver grinned mischievously.  
  
"I know that. The real present is somewhere here…" Oliver stood from his spot and walked back towards the portrait. "Oh, here it is!"  
  
He brought another box of about the same size to where she was sitting, and plopped it into her lap. She just looked at him, as if she were saying, 'Is this the real one?' He laughed and motioned for her to open it. Cooper pulled some more ribbon off, and threw it at him. He laughed and shook his head, still watching her every movement. She pulled off the lid, reached in, and pulled out a furry little kitten.  
  
"OHMYGOSH! She's so cute! Why? How? Where? When? Why?" Cooper was ecstatic. The small kitten had blue eyes, black fur, and some brown and copper looking colors all over her, with a little copper blotch right under her nose, giving the impression that the kitten had a bogie.  
  
"Well, when I heard you say that you didn't have an animal, I remembered how one of the stores I had passed in Diagon Alley had a litter of kittens. So, while I was picking up some little things for Madam Hooch, I went into the store and bought this one for you. She has the same color eyes as you do, and I just knew she was meant for you."  
  
"Oliver, I could never accept this! Its too precious and - "  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's a gift. You can either take her, or you can take her. Its really your decision." Oliver just laughed as she took the kitten in one hand, and the lid in the other, and threw the lid at him.  
  
"You didn't really give me a choice did you?" She nuzzled her face into the kitten, which had crawled from her hand to her shoulder, and had proceeded to sleep upon it. Oliver shook his head from side to side, and sat next to her, just watching her reaction.  
  
"So, what are you going to call her?"  
  
"I'm not really sure… Maybe…" Cooper began, but was interrupted by the students coming back from their lunches.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Hermione and Ginny both yelled as they walked into the Common Room, seeing Cooper with a kitten and Oliver. Harry and Ron followed their lead, and all four of them crowded around the new member of their little clan.  
  
"What's her name Coop?" Ginny asked as she watched the little fur ball curl up into a ball, still perched atop its owners' left shoulder.  
  
"Well, I was thinking of calling her Tambre." Cooper reached over with her right arm and grabbed the kitten gently, and placed the sleeping baby in her lap.  
  
"That's a great name for her! She's just so cute! And she makes you happy, so the name fits her perfectly!" Hermione stated matter-of-factly. She reached over and stroked Tambre, before sitting back down into a chair. Ron sat across from her, and Harry and Ginny just sat down where they had been standing. The four talked until it was time for dinner, and Cooper left her new pet with Crookshanks.  
  
When dinner was over, they all wandered back into the Common Room and took their respected places, all sitting as they had before dinner.  
  
"So Oliver, you got Cooper that kitten?" Ron asked, glancing down at Harry with a grin.  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
Harry finally spoke up, saying, "So you just felt like doing that, out of the blue? That's awfully nice of you."  
  
Oliver accidentally kicked Harry in the arm as he situated himself on the couch. He glared at Ron, patted Cooper's hand, said good night to everyone, and excused himself. Ron and Harry dashed after him, not even bothering to say goodnight to any of the girls.  
  
"You like him!" Ginny exclaimed as she moved from her place on the ground, to the couch next to Cooper.  
  
"I do not! I just thought it was really…cool of him to get me her." Cooper was trying to defend herself, but it wasn't working too well.  
  
"Deny it all you want cousin. You have the hots for Wood." Hermione just watched as Cooper turned a slight shade of pink. "So what happened while we were gone?"  
  
Cooper told all about her crying in her sleep, and how Oliver had woken her up by wiping her tears away, and how she had opened her eyes to find him staring at her.  
  
"Awwwwwwwww, that's so sweet! I wish Harry would do that to me…" Ginny looked fondly into the fireplace, with a dazed expression upon her face. Hermione and Cooper just giggled, watching as their friend came back down from her dreamy state.  
  
"Don't pick on me 'Mione. We all knew why Ron really wanted your help!" Cooper and Ginny high-fived as Hermione just glared at her cousin.  
  
"I hate being called that and you know it!"  
  
"What, 'Mione? You sure didn't mind it when Ron called you that, did you?" Ginny suddenly stopped laughing, and watched Hermione's face turn a red shade.  
  
"I did so mind! And I told him so right after we got up the stairs! I'm going to bed. Goodnight!" With that, Hermione strode angrily up the stairs to the girls common room, her cousin and friend hot on her trails. Hermione moved her cat off her bed, switched into her pj's, and crawled down under her comfy sheets, her face still hot.  
  
"You know what? I reckon she'll realize she likes Ron one of these days." Cooper just watched with a sullen expression on her face, as she went to her bed and sat with Tambre.  
  
"Yeah, and on that day she'll realize just how much he likes her back," Ginny commented quietly, so only Cooper could hear. She switched into her nightclothes and went to bed, listening to the wind blow against the window pain.  
  
"She's right Tambre… Hermione will realize that… I just hope its not too late when she does." With that, Cooper crawled into her bed after switching into her tank top and Tigger boxers, holding her new kitten close to her heart.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Tambre supposedly means Great Joy in the British world… but I just thought it was cute. So R/R please! And tell me what you think!  
  
Second A/N: I was looking at a picture of Sean Biggerstaff as I wrote this… he's so cute! Okay. You can R/R now! lol 


	8. A Walk for Two

Disclaimer: okay, you caught me. I'm not J.K. Rowling. I'm just a little person in a big world, trying to have some fun w/ writing stories. Leave me be please!  
  
A/N: Props to my girls. You know who you are! Thanks for the support! You guys are, as Ron said in the movie, "Bloody Brilliant!" lol Love ya!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The sunlight was just creeping onto where Cooper sat in the dorm, stroking Tambre. She was just sitting with the cat on her lap, wondering how she could keep having these memories even in her dreams. 'They're becoming more frequent. I just wish they'd disappear!' She had tears brimming in her eyes as images began to flash into her mind, of her running into the wall, of being hit, of…  
  
Tap…  
  
"What the?"  
  
Tap… tap…  
  
"Who is it?" Cooper walked over and called through the door.  
  
"It's Ron. I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me before breakfast." Cooper's eyes darted down to what she was wearing.  
  
"Um yeah, be out in just a sec."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cooper and Ron had been walking quietly for a couple of minutes when he finally broke the silence.  
  
"I like Hermione." Cooper just laughed as she listened to him say it in one breath.  
  
"I know Ron, it's not a big deal."  
  
"No, you don't get it Cooper, I mean I like Hermione Granger, the know-it- all. The smartest girl in Gryffindor, if not the entire bloody school!"  
  
"What does it matter if she's smart!? That will have no effect whatsoever on how she feels about you."  
  
"But what if she realizes that I'm not who she thinks I am?"  
  
Cooper stopped and looked at Ron carefully. "Ron, what do you mean?"  
  
"What if she sees me as a poor wizard who has ugly red hair, freckles, is lanky, and not smart, and even worse, poor?"  
  
"And what if she sees you as the caring, sensitive, funny, interesting, brilliant red-headed Weasley that you are? Would that be so bad?" Ron looked at Cooper with amazement. He couldn't believe she had just said all of those things about him, when they didn't really even know one another. Cooper reached over and gave Ron a friendly hug. "You have nothing to worry about Ron, trust me."  
  
He smiled his thanks and then changed the subject. "So how are things with you and Wood?"  
  
Cooper just looked at him, feigning ignorance.  
  
"Oh come off it! He likes you, you know. He really does. I don't see why you don't know that. Bloody hell, even Malfoy knows it. Or, he would if he stopped being such an up-righteous and stuck up bloke."  
  
"I know he likes me, I just, you wouldn't understand." Cooper shrugged off his inquiring eyes and started back towards the castle.  
  
"Try me." Ron reached out and stopped her, turning her to face me.  
  
"Maybe some other time. We're gonna be late for breakfast. C'mon."  
  
They both wandered back into the castle, Ron with more reassurance, and Cooper longing for something she could never have again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Yeah, I know, its short. But I promise that the next chapters will be longer! I swear! Now just review it already, please!? =) 


	9. The Coming About

Disclaimer: Yeah, I know, I'm not brilliant and talented and make a LOT of money… but hey- its fun to dream, right?  
  
MBN: these are now Mrs. B's Notes. Okay? Good! So I am sitting here w/ my wonderful best friend Cait, and she's helping me. Right? Right! So! On w/ Ch. 9!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cooper walked slowly, deliberately into the Great Hall, and sat down next to Hermione and Ron, away from Oliver. He looked at her weirdly, as well as everyone else who knew they had a little "thing" going on. The food appeared, and everyone began to dig into it.  
  
Ron leaned over to Cooper and said, with a mouthful of hotcakes, "Y'know 'Oop, it's not really a great idea to sit away from the guy you like." He turned back towards the table, intent on devouring down his meal. Cooper shifted uncomfortably in her seat, quietly eating what little things she had on her platter, and made her way out of the Great Hall, and started up to the Common Room. When she heard footsteps behind her, she promptly turned on her heel, ready to tell them off.  
  
"Hey," Oliver said softly. "Where were you going in such a hurry?"  
  
"I was going back up to the dorms so I could finish my homework. Do you have a problem with that?" She asked in an annoyed tone.  
  
"Um, well," Oliver was caught off guard by this sudden cold shoulder act. "I was just wondering if I could walk you back up there."  
  
"Yeah, sure. Go get your stuff, I'll wait here." Oliver grinned, and ran back into the Great Hall, gathered his books for Madam Hooch, and returned, only to see an empty, cold hallway.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione entered her dorm to find a sullen figure, crumpled up on the window seat, with tear-stained cheeks. Hermione slowly walked over, sat down, and laid her cousin's head on her lap, brushing Cooper's hair with her fingers.  
  
"Cooper, honey, what happened? Oliver looked a little distraught when he I passed him on my way up here. What happened outside the Great Hall?" Hermione asked in a soft, gentle tone. She continued to caress Coopers long flowing hair, just watching as the tears continued to flow.  
  
"I didn't really mean to Herm! It was just so overwhelming! This morning Ron and I took a walk, and we talked a little, and…" Cooper paused, as another wave of tears wracked her body.  
  
"We…we talked about Oliver, and when he told me that Oliver liked me, all those memories just came flying back 'Mione! They just overcame me, and when I said I couldn't talk about it, and he said to try him, it just made me angry, and seeing Oliver fueled it, and I took it out on him." Cooper sat up suddenly, and held her knees to her chest, sobbing into them. Hermione scooted over and gathered Cooper into her arms, holding her as her own mother would hold her.  
  
"Coop, he's not gonna come back. Remember? So don't hold it against Oliver. Michael did those things. Not Oliver, Coop, Mike. Give Oliver a chance, please? Not all guys are like Mike. Look at Ron and Harry! And Oliver, and George, and Fred. They're all great guys." Hermione just continued to rub her cousin's back, and whisper that it was going to be all right. When she realized that Cooper was asleep, she carefully got up and left the dorms, intent on finding Oliver.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"'Arry! You can't bloody imagine what's happened! We have a new keeper!" Ron came yelling into the Common Room, running over to where Harry was sitting at a chess table with George Weasley. Ron gave a twice-over look at the girl with George, her name was Catherine or something, is all that he could remember, before exclaiming again, "There's a new keeper! Gryffindor can play!"  
  
"Well? Who is it?" George and Harry asked at the same time, which were received with odd looks and the company of Fred Weasley.  
  
"I dunno! But he must be good! Wood and Hooch I guess have been working with him a lot lately. Hey, have either of you seen Hermione, Cooper, or Ginny? They'll be feeling chipper when they here this!"  
  
"Last time I saw of Hermione, she went running out of here, 'prolly to the library. Cooper and Ginny? No clue." Harry looked around, wondering where the missing two could be. "We should be able to find them soon, hopefully."  
  
"Find who soon?" Ginny had come into the room unnoticed, and wandered over to the five.  
  
"Well, now that you're here, all we need are Herm and Coop and we're all set!" Ron was just a tad bit too excited. "Oh well, I can't wait any longer; we've got a keeper to replace Wood!"  
  
"Really," Ginny asked with no apparent enthusiasm whatsoever. "That's great Ron. Listen… I have to go… I'll catch you guys at dinner, okay?" Ginny bounded up the stairs, leaving an exasperated Ron and others behind.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
MBN: Yeah, yeah, I know. The whole Quidditch thing didn't really fit in with this chapter, but its kind of important in the next chapters. So just R/R please!? Thanks! 


	10. Changes

Disclaimer: I only own Cooper, Tambre, and Oliver's feelings towards Cooper. =)  
  
MBN: I'm bored so I'm gonna write this chapter just for my dedicated fans out there…*laughs to self*  
  
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Harry met George, Fred, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Oliver, Professor McGonagall, and Madam Hooch out on the Quidditch field on Saturday afternoon, after lunch had finished.  
  
"As you all realize, since Wood graduated two years ago, we have been short a Keeper. Last year we didn't have to worry about it." McGonagall then looked pointedly at her six remaining players. "But while you six were spending your summer holidays doing whatever you did, I was searching, with assistance from Wood and Madam Hooch of course, for a Keeper. And I've found her."  
  
All of the teammates looked at each other in confusion. They were all thinking the same thing: 'a girl? The keeper? A girl keeper?' While they were looking at one another, someone had joined them.  
  
"May I introduce," Wood began, "Ginny Weasley."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"How could you join the team and not tell us? Bloody 'ell! Are we or are we not your own flesh and blood?!" Fred and George were screaming simultaneously at their only sister.  
  
"I couldn't! Don't you see? I had to practice, and get everything down, and not one of you could know! Or I wouldn't have a chance. McGonagall and Hooch had conspired this, not me! No one even asked me if I wanted to be a bloody keeper! They just assumed that I would be happy to fill Wood's place!" Ginny stormed up the stairs and into her dorm, leaving her three perplexed brothers downstairs, only to find Cooper still sleeping on the window seat, and Hermione nowhere to be found. As Ginny crossed the room to go to her bed, Cooper stirred from her surprisingly peaceful slumber.  
  
"Hey Ginny… I didn't realize that you were in here. What time is it?"  
  
"Um, it's a little after two I think. How long have you been up here sleeping?" Ginny got down on her knees on the left side of her bed and pulled out from under it her Byrne '03 broom, and stood up, holding it delicately. "You know, you'd think that my brothers would be excited that another Weasley was joining the Quidditch team, but no, why think of anyone but themselves and how it would affect their popularity?"  
  
"You're on the Quidditch team!?" Cooper leapt from her spot on the seat to hug her friend. "When's the first game? And against who?"  
  
"I think it's against Slytherin." Both girls made a face at this before Ginny continued, " And it's going to be a week from tomorrow. I'm so nervous. I hope I do well."  
  
"I'm sure you'll be great. Just keep Slytherin from scoring and you'll do fine. Hey, have you seen Hermione by any chance?"  
  
Ginny shook her head before Cooper nodded her thanks and left the room, leaving Ginny to polish her broom.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione was in the library waiting in the Quidditch section, pretending to read 'Quidditch Through the Ages' when she accidentally bumped into Cooper.  
  
"You're up! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked nervously, fidgeting from one foot to another.  
  
"I was going to ask you the same question." Cooper glanced at the book Hermione was supposedly reading. "Last time I checked you weren't really into sports, or reading about them at least. So what's up?"  
  
Hermione placed the book back into its rightful spot and led her cousin out of the Library and into an empty classroom. "I was going to talk to Oliv - "  
  
"Don't do that, please Herm? I really don't want you to do that." When Hermione started to interrupt, Cooper sped up her explanation. "This is between him and I. I know you love me, and want to take care of me and make sure I don't get hurt, but being hurt is part of life. So just let me handle this myself, okay? Please?"  
  
"Fine. But if you guys don't settle this, I'm going to find Mike and curse the wicked - "  
  
Cooper just hugged her cousin tightly, and walked out of the class. She strolled through the hallways quietly, only to bump into Wood himself. She fell onto the floor, not bothering to make a move to get up. She wanted to say something, but instead she just gave him a glare and watched as he left her alone in the cobwebbed hallway.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Oliver sped through the hallways and into the Common Room, not even bothering to say 'Thanks' to the Fat Lady.  
  
"Oh blimey Harry! You shouldn't have… Wood! What in the world of Warlocks happened to make you come in here so bloody fast?" Ron asked as he looked up from his wizard chess game with Harry.  
  
"Cooper Landing. That's who." Oliver strode over to where the two students were playing and pulled up a chair to join them. "She fancied me, correct?"  
  
Harry and Ron both nodded their heads vigorously, Ron less so as he was concentrating on the game.  
  
"So why did she just leave me this morning, making me feel like an idiot? I went back into the Great Hall, got the things for Madam Hooch, went back out to meet Cooper to walk her up here, but instead of meeting Cooper, I met an empty hallway. And she was acting really annoyed with me too. I don't know why. And I just bumped into her in the hallway, and she still looked angry with me. What did I do?"  
  
"Don't fret it Wood. I'm sure she's just going through something. Ron talked to her this morning before breakfast and he said she was acting weird. Just lay off of her for a while." Harry gave Oliver a reassuring smile, and turned back to the chess game, only to hear Ron say, 'Checkmate.'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Malfoy woke up in a sweat from his nap. 'What the bloody hell was that?' he thought to himself, referring to his dream. 'Why the hell was I dreaming about Ginny? A Weasley no less! That was down-right disturbing.'  
  
Malfoy jumped from his place on the bed and walked to the Quidditch field, not even thinking about what had just occurred due to his over-worked imagination. He stepped onto the green field, not even noticing that Ginny Weasley was venting her frustrations out on the air. He looked up to find her flying through hoops, from one end of the field to the other, and doing loops in between the rings.  
  
"You know, if you weren't a Weasley, you'd be quite good!" He yelled up at her, just loud enough for her to hear. She came flying down at him at top speed, stopping only millimeters from hitting him. Malfoy smirked, and continued on. "Nice broom. Did you borrow it from Potter? He's the only friend of yours with enough money to buy one any way."  
  
"Go eat worms Malfoy. We all know that even you don't have the latest broom. What happened? Did daddy-waddy not want to buy his only son the best broom out on the market?" She flew back up into the air, not looking back at him. Malfoy just glared daggers after her, and left her alone to vent out her re-fueled anger.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
MBN: I know. What the heck does Malfoy have to do with this? Well, nothing really, but I just got a good idea for all those H/G shippers… I think at least… lol R/R! Its right there! Look… Right here in the left corner. Yeah, that's the spot. Make the author happy and maybe she'll decide to post another chapter. If not… maybe there won't be another chapter… *evil grin* I want more reviews! C'mon, my story can't be THAT bad now can it?? Don't answer that! It was rhetorical! Please? Lemme have… I have 29 so far as of Ch.9; so give me at least 15 for this chapter? That's not asking too much is it? Another rhetorical question… 


	11. The Game

Disclaimer: I don't own any HP stuff! JKR does! And Warner Bros.! So lemme alone to write for fun! Please?!  
  
A/N: It's been a while; I realize that. I'm sorry. I've just been busy w/ other… ideas…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Cooper… Cooper, wake up. Please? Or we'll be late for class!" Hermione tugged at her cousin's bed sheets, but it wouldn't matter. Cooper Landing was out like a light. "Oh well. I'll just get the homework for her later."  
  
Cooper slightly opened one eye to check if Hermione was gone. Quietly she sat up, cat stretched, put on her fluffy slippers and her robe, then padded her way down the marble staircase into the Common Room. She thought she'd have some time to herself, but she found that wouldn't come true this day. She'd be spending the morning with the person she least wanted to see.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Seeing Cooper just standing there made his heart skip a beat. He took a step towards her and saw her stance waver slightly. She looked up at him, her gaze penetrating the very depths of his soul.  
  
"Good morning. I was looking for you last night." He continued to watch her, as she walked over and took a seat on the couch, and joined her not that long afterwards.  
  
"Yeah… I went looking for you too. And I think we should talk." Cooper repositioned herself so she sat facing him.  
  
"Listen-" they both said in unison. "You go first."  
  
"Okay. I just wanted to say that I know you like me Oliver. And I like you too. It's just that things have happened in my life… bad things… And they have changed the way I look at things. Everything is a huge step for me. Even having a boyfriend." She searched his face for some sort of understanding, and she found a little bit, but not as much as she had wished for. "I was just hoping we could be friends for a little while, and get to know each other. Because I can't handle anything more than that."  
  
Oliver took a couple of minutes to digest this newfound information, before grasping her hand in his and placing his other one on top. "I understand perfectly. And until you change your mind, I'll be here."  
  
"Friends?" Cooper grinned when he shook his head 'Yes' and gave him a hug. "So don't we have a game today?"  
  
"Yeah. But you'd better eat first. It gets a little chilly. You're missing the only class you'll have for the rest of the day, but I think Hermione will be more than happy to inform you of what they did." He gave his famous smile to her then, which made her heart start to melt, until she made it stop, and they went to get their breakfast.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Okay. So is that it? Or is there more to Quidditch that I must learn?" Cooper had been listening to Ron for the past half hour, and was really quite bored of hearing about all the fouls the teams could perform. When he nodded 'yes', she looked back out onto the field, and cheered on her team. Her eyes traveled on all of her team's players and they landed on Oliver, whose voice was booming throughout the stadium.  
  
"Lets try to keep this game at least semi-clean, alright lads?" With that, he threw the Quaffle up into the air, and blew the whistle.  
  
"And it's Angelina with the Quaffle…great pass to Katie Bell of Gryffindor… watch out for those Bludger' girls… Quaffle taken by Montague of Slytherin! He's setting up field position…passes to Flint… intercepted by Alicia Spinnet! Angelina back in control now… she scores! 10-0 Gryffindor!" Lee shouted, and all the Gryffindor stands erupted in pleasure, much to the dismay of the Slytherin fans.  
  
"Warrington making his way down the field… Close shave by a Bludger hit by George or Fred Weasley, can't tell which… Montague takes the Quaffle… gets ready to score… And Ginny Weasley keeps it from going in! Nice save there! Katie Bell has the Quaffle… no… now its Alicia… ouch! That was a hair too close! George, Fred, you're supposed to hit the balls at the OTHER team, not your own! Score! Score by Katie Bell of Gryffindor! 20-0 Gryffindor!"  
  
Cooper was watching in pure giddiness. She had never seen such a fast-paced game in all her life. Sure muggle sports were fun, but never did they have two balls trying to knock you out of the air! She looked around and spotted Harry, far above the rest of his team, with what looked to be Malfoy watching his every move. All the sudden the whole crowd started screaming, and Cooper tried to see why.  
  
"Alicia has been knocked out! She's on the ground! Keep going Angelina! That was highly un-sportsmanlike! Wood! Do something for the sake of Merlin! And Angelina scores another 10 points for Gryffindor! Wood has summoned the stretchers… it looks as if one of the Chasers is already out of the game… Well, we couldn't expect to keep them all in… never can when you're playing against a team as slimy as Slytherin… Nasty buggers they are -…"  
  
"Jordan!" McGonagall glared at her commentator, and then focused back on the game.  
  
"Well, 'tis only the truth Professor! They are slimy… and gits at that-…" That last little comment earned Lee another glare, but he didn't care. He was a Gryffindor after all. And no matter how much Professor McGonagall wanted to deny it, she herself knew how dirty the Slytherin team could be at Quidditch.  
  
"Malfoy! Draco Malfoy is diving right through the middle of the field. I do believe he's seen the snitch… And Potter's right in front of him… Potter's not pulling out… he's still not… Oh my! He's going to crash! They both are! No! Malfoy pulled up… and Harry hasn't… He's done a fake! Harry's pulled a Wronski Feint! Well I'll be! I never knew he had it in him!" From the looks on the Slytherin's faces, Lee had been correct. Harry had indeed performed his most superb trick yet. He flew back to the top, and as Malfoy followed, he looked to be shouting obscenities the whole way at Harry.  
  
The Gryffindor side was still cheering, not even noticing that something was flying very fast towards their side of the stands. Cooper was clapping alongside Hermione and Ron, and was just about to tell them how much she loved Quidditch when she started seeing stars.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: There Cait! Happy now!? And Anne, are you happy again? Sorry everyone, I know this took a while to get out. You have NO idea whatsoever how bad a writer's block I had. It was like, I'd be thinking of some great idea in one of my classes, usually English, and when I'd finally find something to write it down on, I'd have forgotten it already. It was horrible! *reads what she just wrote…* maybe it wasn't writer's block… Maybe it was a Debbie Day… oh well. G2G. (and to the Debbie's out there, it's a personal joke. So no offense..)  
  
OH! BTW: PLEASE REVIEW THIS! THANK YOU! LOVE THOSE WHO DO! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! 


	12. Sorry Guys!

Hey you guys- Mrs.B here. Yeah. I know. Way to late to post anything right? Ya'll are probably really mad at me for not writing in a while, and for that I am truly and deeply sorry, and I thoroughly apologize to each and everyone of you few who read my stuff and or review it. Thank you sooo much for those by the way; I live for them. But anywho! The reason I am posting this is to give you explanations as to why I haven't been on, posting chapters, or for that matter, writing them. Its because WeasleySweetie and I have been working on another story, one w/ all original characters by yers truly! But the reason this has gone on so long w/o having a new chapter is because I have been *gasp* working! Yep! That's right! I have been working since June 11th and when I'm done (Aug.23rd) I have to finish my summer book for AP Language/Composition before school starts (Sept.3rd). So I really do feel horrible for leaving you all, but I'm sure you guys got bored w/ this one anywho. I just kinda ran out of ideas, but I've got some flowing, my wheels are turning, I just needed to put some grease on it, some WD-40 to get them going again.  
  
So.  
  
  
  
Until next time!  
  
  
  
Mrs.B 


	13. The Memory

Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! Just remembered what I finished writing for chapter 11, so here's chapter 12! Oh- um. Yeah. theres gonna be abuse and very mild language in this chapter, so if that's gonna bother you, ya might wanna turn back now. Now you've been warned, so you can't say I didn't tell ya about it! Hopefully you like it! (btw: ~~~~~~ is when Cooper's having a flashback, okay? I don't remember how to do html hehe!) And onto the. chapter!  
  
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~~~~~~"Hey Cooper, how are you? I haven't seen you in a while." He smiled maliciously at her, his eyes turning a dark shade of blue. Cooper stumbled back from the door, speechless. 'No, it couldn't be, he moved! He left me alone!' her mind screamed at her.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" She walked backwards into the kitchen and behind the island, so at least one thing was standing in between the two of them. 'Why is no one here when I really need them?' she wondered to herself, her eyes trained on watching the boy's every move.  
  
"What, I'm not allowed to visit my girlfriend anymore?" He made a reach for her hand, but she managed to pull it away first.  
  
"I. Am. Not. Your. Girlfriend," Cooper uttered through clenched teeth. "Get out of my house, now!"  
  
"Or what?" He took a few steps towards the side of the island in an attempt to get closer to her, only to find she moved to the opposite end.  
  
"Or I swear to God you are going to regret it." She turned around in order to run to the sliding glass door that led out into her back yard, but he was too fast for her, and had her arms pinned behind her before she could blink, one of his hands smothering her mouth.  
  
"Ah, you never do learn do ya Landing? Don't threaten me. You knew not to when we were going out, because you knew the consequences. Maybe I should give you a little reminder in order to refresh that beautiful mind of yours," he whispered next to her ear, his harsh voice making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He released her mouth and pushed her back into the island, hard enough so that when she hit it, she bent over at the impact, and he put a hand at the nape of her neck, her left cheek stuck to the chilly tile. She struggled, but the more she moved, the tighter his grip on her wrists got. Finally she grunted, relenting to him, just as always. "There we go; you remember! Good girl. Good little Cooper. You always were smart." He pulled her from the tile, and walked her into the living room. Somehow she ended up handcuffed, from where they came, she knew not. What she did know, was that this was going to get very bad, very quickly, and she couldn't do a thing to stop him, not this time. "Where is everyone?"  
  
"They're out shopping," she spit out, her eyes trying very hard to avoid him, but he wouldn't let her look away.  
  
"So we have the entire house to ourselves eh? This is turning out to be a very good visit, very good indeed."  
  
"Why did you come back Mike? Why do you insist on torturing me like this?!"  
  
"Because I felt like it. No one was stopping me! You never told anyone, and besides, after all the shit you put me through? You deserve," he paused to slap her hard across the cheek, "every ounce of what you get." Her head swiveled to meet his, and icy glare met icy glare, each one filled with hate.  
  
"What the hell do you mean?! I never did anything to you! You were always threatening me and verbally abusing me, sometimes physically!" She yelled out, frightened at what her sudden outburst might earn her.  
  
He leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips, so hard that she knew she would have bruises afterwards, and felt his anger lashing out through his words. "You went behind my back, you little slut and slept with all my friends, and all of your guy friends, because you were desperate! That's what you did to me! you lied to me about all of it too! You are a little bitch, and you're gonna pay!" He slapped her hard then, on the other cheek this time, so much so that she could feel the pain traveling all the way to her toes and back. She winced, and that earned her a hard slap on the thigh, and an evil laugh escaped from Mike's throat. "If you think that's bad, you have no idea whats in store for you." He began to hit her, harder than before, and she felt colder for some reason, like she was being undressed, but she couldn't possibly comprehend the thought. All she felt was pain, an unfathomable excruciating pain. She knew she was screaming, but she couldn't think straight, just pain, and Mike. causing that pain. once again.~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Let me in! I want to see her!"  
  
"Keep it down, you'll see her soon enough dearie, but right now she needs her rest; she took quite a nasty hit, she did."  
  
"I realize that Madam Pomfrey, but I need to see her! Please!? Just for a few seconds?! She's screaming for Merlin's sake!"  
  
"Just let her see her for a few minutes! She just wants to see if Cooper's okay!" "Miss Landing took quite a hit, and at this point in her recovery she needs all the rest she can-"  
  
"But she's SCREAMING! She's having another nightmare! Let me see her please!"  
  
"Fine, but only for a few. After that you all must leave."  
  
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey, we will, just as soon as she is okay."  
  
Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny and Oliver all crowded around Cooper's bed, Hermione trying to shake her cousin from her nightmare.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cooper groggily opened one eye, cautiously, in case Mike was still near. But instead of her ex, she found friendly, welcome faces greeting her, all stricken with fear. She smiled slightly at each of them, her gaze focusing in on each and every person.  
  
"Are you okay?! Why were you screaming like that?!" They all bombarded her with the same questions, before she raised her hand to silence them.  
  
"I'm fine, except for this throbbing headache. And I was remembering some." She paused quickly, glancing at Hermione before continuing on, "Just some stuff that happened a while ago." Everyone took their turn saying how sorry they were about her getting smashed by a bludger, and how they hoped that she would feel better soon, before being ushered out by Madam Pomfrey, all lest one.  
  
"Mike huh?" Hermione said quietly, easing herself onto the bed and looking her cousin straight in the eye. Cooper nodded slightly, careful not to move her head too much, while tears gently made their way down her cheeks. Hermione embraced her lightly, being careful not to touch her bandage, and they sat like that until Cooper fell asleep, into a deep and peaceful slumber. 


End file.
